Every laptop we have figures for

Frame rates measured by Notebookcheck.

What it asks of a laptop

Flight Simulator 2020 is represented here by a small set of measured figures: just four laptops, all tested at 1,920 x 1,080 on the High preset with upscaling off. That is enough to show what these particular machines achieved, but not enough to make sweeping claims about every laptop carrying the same GPU name.

The immediate result is encouraging for 60fps play. Every one of the four measured laptops cleared that mark, with results ranging from 65fps to 82fps. The median was 69fps, so the middle of this sample sits comfortably above 60fps rather than merely scraping past it.

That does not make Flight Simulator 2020 an especially easy game to run. None of the measured machines reached 100fps, let alone 144fps, at the stated settings. Even the fastest result, 82fps from the Aorus 15X ASF with its 140W RTX 4070, falls 18fps short of 100fps. For buyers targeting a high-refresh display, the figures suggest that High settings at native 1080p can still be demanding.

The 17fps gap between the quickest and slowest laptops is meaningful, but it is not enormous. The RTX 4070-equipped Aorus led at 82fps, while the 140W RTX 4050 in the Schenker XMG Apex 15 reached 65fps. Between those points, the RTX 3070 Ti Razer Blade 15 OLED managed 70fps and the RTX 4060 MSI Katana 17 recorded 69fps.

In this sample, then, Flight Simulator 2020 scales upwards with the fastest GPU, but the separation below the RTX 4070 is tight. The RTX 3070 Ti, RTX 4060 and RTX 4050 results sit within 5fps of one another. Since each GPU tier is represented by only one laptop, that should not be read as proof that those GPUs are broadly interchangeable. Laptop power limits and the rest of the system can matter, and the measured figures only show the performance of these specific four machines.

What runs it

For 60fps at 1080p High without upscaling, all four measured GPU tiers cleared the target:

• RTX 4070: 82fps in the 140W Aorus 15X ASF. This was the fastest measured result and gives the largest margin over 60fps.
• RTX 3070 Ti: 70fps in the 110W Razer Blade 15 OLED (Early 2022).
• RTX 4060: 69fps in the MSI Katana 17.
• RTX 4050: 65fps in the 140W Schenker XMG Apex 15 (Late 23).

On the evidence available, each of those particular laptops is capable of a 60fps-class result under the tested conditions. The RTX 4050 machine was the slowest measured system, but it still retained a 5fps margin above 60fps. The RTX 4060 and RTX 3070 Ti examples were close to the sample median of 69fps, while the RTX 4070 machine provided a more substantial lead.

There is no measured route to 100fps in this data set. The count at or above 100fps is zero out of four. That includes the RTX 4070 result, so buyers should not treat an RTX 4070 laptop as a guaranteed 100fps option for Flight Simulator 2020 at 1080p High with upscaling off on the basis of these numbers.

The same applies more strongly to 144fps. Zero of the four measured laptops reached 144fps, and the best result of 82fps is well below that threshold. A 144Hz laptop screen can still be useful outside this game, but these High-preset measurements do not indicate that Flight Simulator 2020 will routinely fill such a panel at 144fps on the tested machines.

The cheapest laptop that handles it

No laptop prices are included in the fact sheet, so it is not possible to identify the cheapest option or make a value-for-money ranking from the supplied evidence. It would be misleading to guess based on GPU tier alone, particularly with such a small sample and differing laptop configurations.

What can be said is that the lowest-performing measured machine was also one that cleared 60fps: the Schenker XMG Apex 15 (Late 23), equipped with a 140W RTX 4050, recorded 65fps. The MSI Katana 17 with RTX 4060 was only slightly ahead at 69fps. If either model is available at a suitable price, the measured figures indicate that it handled the stated 1080p High test acceptably. They do not establish which one is cheaper in the UK.

What this means if you’re buying

If your aim is a straightforward 60fps experience at 1,920 x 1,080 on High with upscaling disabled, the four measured examples are all viable. The important caveat is that this conclusion applies to these named laptops, not to every RTX 4050, RTX 4060, RTX 3070 Ti or RTX 4070 laptop on sale.

The RTX 4070 Aorus 15X ASF is the clear performance choice within this set, at 82fps. Its advantage over the next-fastest result is 12fps, giving it more room above 60fps than the other machines. However, it still did not reach 100fps, so it is best understood as the strongest 60fps-plus option in this limited sample rather than a high-refresh guarantee.

For a buyer comparing mid-range machines, the 69fps RTX 4060 result and 70fps RTX 3070 Ti result are effectively adjacent in this test. The 65fps RTX 4050 figure is also close enough that it should not be dismissed outright for 1080p High play. Price, screen, cooling design and the specific laptop’s configuration would need checking separately, because the figures do not support a broader ranking beyond these four systems.

In short: Flight Simulator 2020 was playable at 60fps or better on every measured laptop, but the data does not support expecting 100fps or 144fps at the tested settings. For this game, buy around a proven 60fps result if that is your target, and treat the RTX 4070 result as extra headroom rather than evidence of effortless high-refresh performance.